Post navigation

Upon the exciting news that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft had taken breathtaking photos of former-planet Pluto and its moon, Charon, Stephen Colbert called in the one person best suited to weigh in on these events: rock star astrophysicist and Friend of the (Stephen-hosted) Show(s) Neil deGrasse Tyson. In a new Late Show video, the two have a hilarious and somewhat contentious chat, with Stephen ribbing Dr. Tyson for his support of demoting Pluto from its planet status back in 2006. They also munch on Klondike bars and attempt to drink Tang, while heralding the beautiful images taken by New Horizons and continuing the Pluto debate.

It’s great to see Stephen push the geek-out pedal all the way to floor, as he does love him some outer space-related topics. Also wonderful that Dr. Tyson would show up on such short notice and basically do a Colbert Report-esque guest spot in the Late Show’s temporary offices. I hope this means that we will continue to enjoy the expert analysis we took for granted on The Colbert Report, starting with tried and true friends-of-the-old-show.

The wait is finally over! For the Season 6 Finale of ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee‘ (Crackle), Jerry Seinfeld offered the pièce de résistance: Mr. Colbert himself. Jerry elected to pick up a then Colbearded-Stephen in a blue 1964 Morgan Plus 4 Roadster. Tooling around Stephen’s hometown of Montclair, New Jersey, the conversation took place at the Bluestone Coffee Co. and briefly at watchung booksellers.

After slightly embarrassing Stephen by correctly and boldly proclaiming him “the greatest television performer [he’d] ever seen,” Jerry is surprised when Stephen reveals he would have quit the Report very soon, Late Show or not. Stephen likens his attitude about ending his show to Jerry’s decision to end Seinfeld at the height of its popularity.

When asked about plans for Late Show, Stephen was mum, (Letterman was still broadcasting when this was filmed), but did reveal that he and Jimmy Fallon went out for drinks after it was announced that Colbert would be Letterman’s successor. They are both friendly to each other and determined to make The Late Show Wars a thing of the past.

Jerry is impressed by Stephen’s ability to perfectly mimic smoking a pipe, although not having done so himself. This leads into a conversation about manliness, and classic examples of manly men, such as George C. Scott and Steve McQueen. Seinfeld is also not afraid to punch a few holes into Stephen here and there, despite his self-professed admiration. “C’mon, let’s be honest, a pipe and a beard is just gross,” he says. When Stephen declares at the book store that even during his lean years in Chicago, he couldn’t deprive himself of books, Jerry simply responds, “that’s really pretentious.”

Stephen then attempts to drive the Morgan, although it had been several years since he had driven stick. Overall, although his driving skills, according to Jerry, were “horrible,” it led to all sorts of giggling and some comfortable, friendly lulls in the conversation.

What did you guys think of Stephen’s turn in the series? Let us know in the comments.

Another great quote (sorry, can’t help it): “We are so fragile! We didn’t know as we built our internet, and our smartphones, and put that extra fridge in the garage, they weren’t strengthening us! They were weakening us. And now the iron spires of our cities will be the markers our graves.”

This video is notable in that it employs the use of graphics (the analog-y distortion), and, in true Colbert fashion, a copious amount of props – including some live ones, a selfie-averse chicken. Also featured is a new intern, Andreau, who is earning college credit by being slathered in white greasepaint and pretending to be one of Stephen’s minions.

Overall, we are seeing a lot of familiar bits, and Stephen relying heavily on his performance chops and the absurdity of current events to guide the content of these videos. It should give Colbert fans a sense that we are not losing the edginess we loved on the Report to the Late Show.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision Friday that the Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to same-sex marriage, media coverage was abuzz with reaction to the landmark ruling. Social media erupted into a deluge of rainbow-colored updates and was trending with the hashtag #LoveWins. The White House was similarly lit up in celebration.

Stephen and his Late Show staff released a video late Friday night with their take on the decision, entitled “June is A Lovely Time for a Wedding.”

Stephen has covered the issue of gay marriage for a long time, and even through the mask of his Report character his support for same-sex marriage rights has been very clear. (My favorite piece on this issue was “Jonathan,” remember that one?) It was nice to be able to see him express his approval without any conceit of the character, and conclude by swatting himself with gay pride flags.

Joining the estimated 10,000 – 15,000 marchers crossing the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, S.C. on Sunday night was only one participant with 8.12 million twitter followers: Stephen Colbert. Stephen was there to be a link in the “Unity Chain” march across the bridge, meant to show a sign of solidarity of Charlestonians in his beloved, yet grief-stricken city.

Welcome to ‘Better Know a Band Leader,’ your guide to Jon Batiste, the newly announced leader of Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ band.

“We’re all about people, and bringing people into the spotlight. Not just the ones who are talented or wealthy, but the everyday person. Music is to be played with them, not just for them. That’s how [Colbert] runs his show and that’s what he thinks about and that’s who he is. It’s a match made in heaven.” – Jon Batiste, Esquire interview

A Musical Heritage

Although Jonathan Batiste and Stephen Colbert may be a “match made in heaven,” divergent paths led them to find another. Hailing from Kenner, Louisiana, to a prominent musical family, 28-year-old Batiste was exposed to New Orleans-style jazz from a very young age. He played percussion with the Batiste Brothers Band at the age of 8, eventually switching to piano by age 11.

Dave Itzkoff of NYT has written a timely article lauding Team Stephen’s effort to release topical pieces months ahead of Late Show’s premiere:

In an online video, Stephen Colbert performed his own version of [Trump’s] speech, offering his mock support. […] But there is a crucial difference between Mr. Colbert and his comedic peers: He is not appearing on television and won’t be until Sept. 8, when he will take over as host of CBS’s “Late Show,” succeeding David Letterman, who stepped down from that program in May.

With the help of the Internet, Mr. Colbert and his “Late Show” collaborators are hoping to preserve the host’s connection to his fans, develop the voice of their new program and keep pace with their late-night competitors.

As Mr. Colbert explained in an email, “We like our audience and want to give them gifts to let them know we miss them.”

Rob Dubbin, a writer for Mr. Colbert’s “Late Show” and its producer of digital entertainment, said in an interview: “The last I heard, we were still planning to do a show. We’re as anxious to get back to it as people seem to be to receive it.”

Stephen Colbert, addressing the graduating class of Wake Forest University on this beautiful spring day, delighted the crowd with zingers about rival universities Duke and UNC, Wake Forest’s own curious campus traditions, and a few topical jokes for good measure.

In the core message of his speech, interestingly, he likened his own personal transition to The Late Show to the transition to careers the graduates are undertaking. It was a surprising and touching approach:

Stephen Colbert Tells Wake Forest Graduates: “It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the Person We’ve Become

“I just spent many years learning how to do one thing really well. I got so comfortable with that place, that role, those responsibilities that it came to define how I saw myself. But now that part of my life is over. It’s time to say goodbye to the person we’ve become, we’ve worked so hard to perfect, and to make some crucial decisions in becoming who we’re going to be. For me, I’ll have to figure out how to do an hour-long show every night. You at some point will have to sleep. I’m told the Adderall wears off eventually. Good luck.”

Post navigation

Announcements

'The Late Show' Countdown

days

3

6

hours

1

7

minutes

1

3

seconds

4

3

Welcome to Colbert News Hub

A comprehensive Colbert-centric fan site and community bringing you the latest news and updates on Stephen Colbert, 'The Colbert Report' and 'The Late Show', including episode guides, breaking news, event coverage, exclusive interviews and contests, and a whole host of other fan favourites.